A/N: A flashfic written for a request on LiveJournal. The prompt was Muraki/Tatsumi in some sort of down and dirty "Tsuzuki is MINE!" faceoff.

Warnings: none. It's worksafe.

Disclaimer: Yami no Matsuei is the intellectual property of Yoko Matsushita and all associated companies. No profit is being made from this and no copyright infringement intended with this fan-made piece of fiction. Please support the mangaka by buying her works.

Conquest

"Leave him alone," Tatsumi snarled, struggling to hold his own against Muraki. He'd calculated that they were equals and they would have been if not for the element of surprise on Muraki's part.

Grinning, Muraki let the spell him. Something though, but not himself. And the moment when Tatsumi lost him from sight was the deciding one. The next thing the shinigami knew – he was pinned to the wall.

"If you offer a better deal," Muraki whispered hotly against his ear, laugher in his voice and a maniacal gleam in his eyes. With this, he cast a binding seal.

Tatsumi muttered a quiet curse, straining against the magic bonds and found that blowing a hold in the wall with a spell was the only appropriate way of breaking free from its hold.

Muraki still laughed, rather entertained by the chase.

"Or maybe I'm asking too much?" he offered as a belated afterthought.

"You will leave him alone!" Tatsumi snapped and turned around for another streak of attacks, but it was his downfall. He was already caught in Muraki's trap and smashing through the wall to break one seal had brought him inside another. The doctor had set it up, realising that otherwise he wouldn't be able to get a break in this fight. Now he could take a step back and admire his handiwork, however briefly. Tatsumi was still struggling, and if left alone for long would figure out a way to overcome the sealing spell… For some reason Muraki was certain that he could manage. A little distraction was in order then.

Muraki stepped through the hole in the wall and leaned in close to Tatsumi, staring him right in the eye.

"I am, however, willing to consider another offer," he suggested levelly. Though the look in his eyes clearly said that he was lying.

"Are you now?" Tatsumi snarled in reply, not ceasing his struggles. Just a little bit more and he could counter the spell; he felt it giving way slightly. Muraki's hand on his cheek made him pause.

"Tonight you, tomorrow someone else. It doesn't matter," Muraki whispered and moved even closer to him, his lips brushing Tatsumi's ear. "Unless you are willing to change that."

And Tatsumi intended to change that. By killing him as soon as he freed himself. Muraki had made him lose his cool several times already during this fight and the shinigami decided that there would be no more of that. But Muraki didn't stop, and soon his hands were under Tatsumi's shirt, much to the shinigami's disgust.

"Entertain me," Muraki breathed against his ear, reaching to lightly bite down on Tatsumi's earlobe.

"In hell." Tatsumi's snarl was vicious and low. He tried to struggle again, but the binding spell kept him practically immobile, even tightening around him limbs. Muraki laughed, manic gleam in his eyes. Yes, he contemplated with glee, the shinigami would have been an even match in a fair fight, but even he couldn't break free from the binding seal. It had, after all, a wonderful quality that made the seal reinforce itself with the appropriate spells added. His vicious prey wouldn't be getting away no matter how hard he fought.